Birmingham Lord Mayor to visit Pakistan and Bangladesh

Released on: August 28, 2008, 8:05 pm

Press Release Author: Junaid Bhatti

Industry: Government

Press Release Summary: The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Abdul Rashid, isplanning an official tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in October 2008. AsBirmingham's First Citizen, the Lord Mayor represents a population of more than 1.5million, of which an estimated 300,000 can trace their roots back to the Indiansub-continent.

Press Release Body: The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Abdul Rashid, isplanning an official tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in October 2008. AsBirmingham's First Citizen, the Lord Mayor represents a population of more than 1.5million, of which an estimated 300,000 can trace their roots back to the Indiansub-continent.

Birmingham is the most ethnically-diverse city in Britain, with more than a third ofthe population identifying themselves as non-white. (This is higher than London,Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Dewsbury.) Cllr. Rashid is of Kashmiri heritage, andwill be the first Lord Mayor to make an official visit to the Indian sub-continentin six years.

The Lord Mayor commented: "Birmingham is the UK's Second City. However, we are firstin terms of diversity. I'm proud to represent such a culturally-diverse population,which serves as a model of community cohesion for other parts of the country.Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have a connection to the Indian sub-continent.I think it's important for me, as a representative of those citizens, to promoteBirmingham to their countries of cultural origin."

He continues: "I believe that my official visit to Pakistan and Bangladesh will bean opportunity to raise international awareness of the social, cultural and economiccontribution that has been made by Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi immigrants tothe UK as a whole. The message I will take with me is that Birmingham is a greatplace to live. We also want to encourage people from around the world to visit us,and for foreign businesses to invest in the profitable opportunities Birmingham hasto offer."

Baron Bhatti of Ballencrieff, a lifelong resident of Birmingham, is just oneprominent citizen who supports The Lord Mayor's work. He explains: "I'm very proudthat Chauhdry Rashid, who has served as my local Councillor for more than 20 years,has been given the honour of representing our fair City to the wider world. Hisplanned tour of the Indian sub-continent is a wonderful show of respect tocommunities that have been integral to Birmingham's economic success. And I'm surethat he will be welcomed with open arms by the residents of Sylhet, Dhaka, ThePunjab and Azad Kashmir."

The Lord Mayor is also planning official visits to India and the West Indies, inrecognition of the cultural connection many Brummies have with those regions.Birmingham has a large Afro-Caribbean community in excess of 50,000.

About The Lord Mayor

Councillor Chauhdry Abdul Rashid hails from Dadyal in the Pakistani province of AzadKashmir. He left school at the age of 13 and emigrated to the Lake District town ofWorkington, where he lived for eight years. Cllr. Rashid moved to Birmingham in1963, and has been active in the City's social, cultural and educational developmentfor more than 45 years.

The Lord Mayor believes passionately in the value of education and, despite thescholarly disadvantage he suffered, he has continually strengthened his academiccredentials since his arrival in the UK, eventually achieving a Bachelors in SocialScience from Wolverhampton University (in 1987).

The Lord Mayor has served as Governor at many local schools and colleges. Today heis honoured to serve as Chancellor of Birmingham City University.

In 1962, Cllr. Rashid married Shafait Begum, his wife of over 45 years, who is FirstLady of the City of Birmingham, in her official capacity as Lady Mayoress. She hassupported The Lord Mayor's work for almost half a century, during which time he hasstrived to improve the lives of Birmingham's residents.

Further information about The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is available atwww.lordmayor.org.

About Birmingham

Birmingham is the UK's second largest city, with a population of more than 1.5million people. Due in part to its inland central location, Birmingham is a majortransport hub on the UK's motorway, rail, and canal networks. The city is oftenreferred to as "The Heart of England".

Birmingham's Conservative-led City Council is the largest local authority in the UK,and the largest government council in Europe. The city has 120 councillorsrepresenting 40 wards, and is represented in Parliament by 11 MPs.

Birmingham is home to the Cadbury's chocolate factory, the world-famous Bull Ringshopping complex, and the International Convention Centre (ICC) which will play hostto the 2008 Conservative Party Conference.

Notes for Editors

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is the civic head of the City Council. The position isa ceremonial role that is granted to a serving Councillor by fellow members of theCity Council, and is normally held for one year. Traditionally, after one year ofservice, The Lord Mayor will take on the role of Deputy Lord Mayor for a furtheryear, so as to provide support for their successor.

The correct style of address for The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is "The RightWorshipful", which is to be used on all official correspondence.